The walkers were brought to safety off the hill. Photo: Northumberland NPMRT

The walkers were brought to safety off the hill. Photo: Northumberland NPMRT

Two walkers took a picture on their mobile phone to guide rescuers to them after getting lost on a mountain in the Cheviot Hills.

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team were alerted by police about 3.45pm on Sunday.

The walkers became disoriented when the cloudbase lowered while they were walking on The Cheviot on the Scotland-England border.

A Northumberland NPMRT spokesperson said: “While mountain rescue personnel travelled to the area, the incident officer was able to achieve contact with the walkers on their mobile phone.

“After descending below the cloud, the walkers were able to take a photo of what they could see which was sent to mountain rescue, who ascertained their location as the upper area of the Harthope Burn.

“Two team members were dispatched to meet the walkers as they descended to escort them off the hill and for onward transport to their own car.”

The team also emphasised the difficulty of calling for help from remote areas of the country.

The spokesperson said: “The mountains of the UK, including those of the Northumberland national park, often have poor mobile phone signal making it difficult for those needing help to request it.

“It is sometimes possible to send a text, when it is not possible to make a phone call. The emergency services can be contacted on 999 via text in an emergency, provided the mobile phone has been registered to use the text service.

“The mountain rescue teams strongly encourage anyone walking on the hills to register their phone.”

Instructions on how to register your phone for the 999 text service can be found online.

The rescue involved 18 volunteer mountain rescue team members for a little more than 2½ hours.

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